Night Terror
by Del Rion
Summary: Peter dreams, but sometimes it’s hard to tell visions apart from reality. Part of the “Broken World” series; a companion piece to “Enemy Within”.


**Story Info**

**Title:** Night Terror

**Author:** Del Rion

**Fandom:** Heroes

**Era:** Future, post-Heroes

**Genre:** AU, horror

**Rating:** T / FRT

**Characters:** Peter Petrelli (, Nathan Petrelli)

**Summary:** Peter dreams, but sometimes it's hard to tell visions apart from reality.  
Complete. Part of the "Broken World" series; a companion piece to "Enemy Within".

**Written for:** _Heroes_Contest_'s Drabble Challenge 17: Dreams

**Warnings:** Possible disturbing imagery, post-apocalypse, implied mass destruction and death.

**Beta:** Mythra (thank you so much, once again!)

**Disclaimer:** The show, its characters, its places, and everything else belong to Tim Kring and other respective creators and owners of 'Heroes'. I have made no profit by writing this story, and make no claim over the show.

**Feedback:** Much appreciated.

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**About _Night Terror_:** A brief companion-piece, taking place during "Enemy Within".

I like to write about Peter's sick, twisted dreams, sort of, so here is one more for you. It's so nice when his conscience is trying to tell him something…

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**Story and status:** Below you see the writing process of the story. If there is no text after the title, then it is finished and checked. Possible updates shall be marked after the title.

**Night Terror**

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Written for **Heroes_Contest**'s Drabble Challenge 17 (Dreams).

Part of the "Broken World" series; a companion piece to "Enemy Within".

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Night Terror**

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He was only a __kid when they first visited the Golden Gate Bridge, but when he's suddenly there again, he recognizes it immediately. He walks to the railing, looking down into the dark waters. Even after he's flown for thousands of miles in the air, the size of the bridge still amazes him._

_Cars__ and people pass by as Peter stands on the edge, then looks up along the orange cables. He feels tempted to soar to the sky and stand on top of the bridge, but he's content to just stand here as the lazy sea wind tugs his hair._

_Suddenly he can feel the bridge _shiver_. The tremors grow and a strange pressure of anxiety overcomes him although he doesn't know what is going on. The cables begin to shake next to him and the people on the bridge halt, looking around._

_Then the screaming begins._

_The Golden Gate seems to twist a little as a terrible rumble fills the air. Peter leans against the railing and looks around, seeing the far end of the bridge starting to move. Suspension cables whine and creak as the bridge twists even more, cracks appearing in the six lanes. Cars smash into each other in frantic attempts to avoid what are fast becoming actual tears in the bridge._

_When the firs__t suspension cable snaps in two it falls down heavily, making Peter crouch down. He looks up after a moment to see if there's some way to escape before the bridge falls apart. His eyes gaze out to the sea – or what was previously the sea – and he sees a horizon filled with a wall of water. The roar is deafening, and Peter tries to scream and dash back, but there are people behind him and the water is gaining speed, smashing into him before he can get one sound through his throat._

_The water is cold and the mere _weight_ pushing against him almost crushes his body. He can't see anything, and he can't breathe; his chest is pressed down by the water. He tries to focus – to teleport, to telekinetically stop it – because he doesn't want to die. He is afraid._

_That__ is the single thought he can pick from everyone around him until all other thoughts but his own fade away into nothingness._

He awoke with a start that made his heart jump – or perhaps it had been beating frantically in his chest all this time. Trying to fill his lungs that felt like they were starving from lack of air, Peter sat up on his bed and looked around the simple room that still didn't feel like his own.

Outside, beyond torn curtains, a ghost city spread out, some of the buildings crooked and broken. The silence tapping against his sanity was too deep to be penetrated by anything. He felt more alone than ever although he was certain Nathan was somewhere outside.

Dream or not, he didn't feel like going back to sleep.

**The End**

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Author's Note:** "Enemy Within" will be published on September 19th. Keep an eye out for that one!


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